Speedy Lennon not surprised by his fast track to the top

Friday 26 May 2006 19.12 EDT
First published on Friday 26 May 2006 19.12 EDT

The previous time Aaron Lennon came to Reading, at the end of July last year, it was to watch a Tottenham friendly for which he was not selected. He had just arrived at the club after a £1m transfer from Leeds, was preparing to start the season in the reserves, and later spoke about his ambition to break into the first-team squad at White Hart Lane. In the 10 months since he has had to set new goals almost as often as he has created them.

On Thursday the 19-year-old was back at the Madejski Stadium wearing an England shirt. In a flurry of feints, jinks and tricks against Belarus he proved that he is likely to settle into international football as rapidly as he has at Tottenham. Sven-Goran Eriksson could breathe a sigh of relief: while Wayne Rooney's injury remains unhealed and Theo Walcott's potential unclear, at least one of his World Cup gambles appears to have paid off.

The only thing stopping Lennon's seemingly inexorable rise into the England team is the presence in his position of the country's captain and icon, David Beckham. Eriksson remains encouraging, insisting that his first-choice midfield is not yet decided. "I won't stay with Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Beckham just because of who they are," he said yesterday, "and Lennon showed he is knocking very hard on the door."

The winger is not expecting it to open before England's tournament begins in two weeks' time. Instead he is preparing himself for a likely role as substitute, sent on in the second half to test tiring opponents. "Hopefully I can come off the bench and try to make an impact," he said. "I think that's one of my strengths, getting into the game quickly and trying to make an impact and create a buzz."

The buzz that he creates is not confined to the pitch. It may be almost three years since he made his debut for Leeds, at White Hart Lane, aged 16 years and 129 days, but it is only this season that he has really taken off. His sudden success has astonished many, including at least one of his former coaches, but Lennon has taken it all in his short, speedy stride. "I've not surprised myself," he said. "I've always known that I've got the ability to do this. It always helps when there are good players around me."

The players who accompanied Lennon on to the pitch on Thursday were also familiar, with two Tottenham team-mates in Jermaine Jenas and Michael Carrick joining him in midfield and two more, Jermain Defoe and the centre-back Michael Dawson, coming off the bench.

"I'm not surprised that he played so well," said Carrick. "He has been doing that all season for Spurs. He's getting better and better all the time. He has got that pace and sharpness which scares full-backs. He has that element of surprise and I don't think the full-back was expecting him to be so rapid."

That, it seems safe to say, is an understatement. In the opening minutes of Thursday's game Lennon burst past his marker and sent in a low cross which Peter Crouch, standing just offside, turned in. The torment continued until 20 minutes from the end when Sergei Omelianchuk was finally sent off, with two yellow cards for fouls on the winger. "I thought he did really well," said Michael Owen. "Everyone likes seeing a player beat a man and he certainly enjoys doing that."

The only problem with Thursday's performance is that World Cup opponents may now prepare for his combination of searing pace and close control. "It could definitely help if the opposition don't know much about me, because sometimes if they know about you they can double up and stuff, they'll do their homework on you," he said. "But if they don't know about you, they can't do anything."

Lennon talks as he plays, in short bursts, but off the pitch only his diamond earrings catch the eye. His confidence contrasts with the picture painted by those who knew him as a boy, when his timid nature threatened to hold him back. "He looks more confident now," says Andy Ritchie, who coached him at Leeds United's academy before becoming manager of Barnsley. "He was always a little bit shy and retiring but Aaron seems to have come out of his shell. He was always a real talent with such a lot of pace but the one thing I had a doubt about was his lack of size. Small players have to be extra special - which is why Aaron has made it."

The speed of his progress might have taken the sport by surprise but for Lennon, refreshingly, it is all part of the game. "It's unbelievable really," he says. "At the start of the season I wasn't even in the Tottenham squad and now I'm going to the World Cup. It's unbelievable but it's football. It's football."

England super subs

John Barnes

Struggled to live up to expectations after his wonder goal against Brazil in 1984 and was often used from the bench. His dangerous deliveries almost pulled England level against Argentina during his cameo in the 1986 World Cup.

David Platt

Made his international debut in 1989 and was an influential substitute at the World Cup a year later. Brought from the bench for a third successive time, he hit the winner against Belgium to put England in the last eight. He started the next three games, scoring two more goals.

Darius Vassell

Sven-Goran Eriksson's Plan B used to be this man's pace. He burst on to the scene before the 2002 World Cup and was again called upon at Euro 2004, when he came off the bench in all four of England's matches. Just six of his 22 appearances have been starts.